Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, Dr., is an accomplished and distinguished African woman capable of standing for any elective office in her own right, whether in her native South Africa or at the continental level, including the post of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, (AUC). She has not only paid her full dues in blood and sweat as an anti- apartheid activist and prominent leader in the then banned ANC, but also with her service to the nation as cabinet Minister in all of South Africa’s post apartheid administrations, from Nelson Mandela’s to the current president, Jacob Zuma, her former husband, in whose cabinet she currently holds the strategic post of Minister of Interior. She was, for many years, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Mbeki administration. It is therefore no surprise that Dr. Dlamini-Zuma is being increasingly mentioned as a top contender for the leadership of her party, the ANC, and eventually the presidency of South Africa in the next general elections. Is this the reason why President Jacob Zuma is moving heaven and earth to get Mrs. Dlamini- Zuma elected at this time as the South African candidate to the post of Chairperson of the African Union Commission and thereby get rid of her as a potential competitor? Is it because she is the only capable person to bring about the transformation the AU desperately needs, but not competent enough to lead South Africa? The prevailing wisdom among Member States and even the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), is that the post of the Chairperson of the Commission should not go to any dominant economic and military power of the continent, in order not to upset the delicate balance which the Union seeks to observe at all levels. Why is South Africa not putting its weight behind a candidate from any of the other SADC Member States (Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Malawi, DRC, Tanzania, Burundi, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and Zimbabwe) in the context of regional rotation, if it thinks that the Central Region has had its turn, even though the Chairperson is eligible for re-election? Beyond its regional dominance, South Africa is the only country in the region, and the continent for that matter, that belongs to the club of emergent economies, along with Brazil, Russia, India and China, (BRICS). South Africa is the only African country which is a member of the G20. South Africa is the only African country which enjoys a special bi-lateral agreement with the European Union not extended to any other members of SADC, which are all lumped together with the rest of sub Saharan Africa in trade relations with the European Union. South Africa is one country that is also gearing up for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Adding the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission to South Africa with the already lopsided power equation within SADC and the rest of Africa, will not augur well for the short and medium term cohesion and harmony among Member States of SADC, the AU and the continent as a whole. Disharmony within SADC as a result of South African insensitivities has the potential of impacting negatively on the Common Market of Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC), in their efforts to build a wider and more vibrant tri-partite economic community. While Mrs. Dlamini- Zuma is as qualified as any African you can find for the job, the question one may ask is whether she is the only candidate from the region as President Zuma would have us believe ? Could it not be perceived as bullying the smaller and weaker members of SADC and cajole them to endorse Dr. Dlamini-Zuma as a regional candidacy because South Africa wants it all? It could well be that this is the only way to wittle down, or totally remove Dr. Dlamini-Zuma’s standing as an influential voice for stabilization within the ANC, which is headed for fractricide under President Jacob Zuma. To many observers at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa and among the RECS, the mere fact that one of the Powerful-5 members of the Union ( comprising South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt and Libya) finds it necessary to impose a candidate on the rest, offends the delicate diplomatic sensitivities in the Union, and may reflect one of two things: The first is that there is neither room nor clout among citizens of smaller Members States of SADC to aspire for the highest office of the continental Organization if they feel it is their turn to do so, as long as South Africa considers itself first amongst un-equals. The second and more telling point is that Dr. Dlamini-Zuma’s candidacy smacks of a crass disregard for the overall interest and sensibilities of the region and the rest of the continent, as it is based almost entirely on narrow South African domestic politics. Why get her away when she is needed at home to help save the ANC, Africa’s beacon of struggle and triumph, from self destruction under the current administration? The loudly spoken but unwritten agreement that South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt and Libya should not field a candidate or seek to occupy the post of Chairperson of the African Union Commission is to avoid giving too much power to a Member State that already wields influence by virtue of its financial, military and material contribution to the Union. It is akin to having an American, or a citizen of any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as Secretary General of the United Nations at the insistence of the White House, the Kremlin, IO Downing Street, the Elysee or Beijing, especially when that country overtly manifests its ambition to take over the Union. Even more troubling is the fact that Mrs. Zuma’s candidacy came as a kill-joy for Thabo Mbeki, the former South African President, whose continuous outstanding service to the continent elicited calls for him to stand as a truly pan-African candidate who transcends national politics. This most probably did not sit well with Mbeki’s detractors at home, particularly within the Zuma wing of the ANC, who rose to power with the ouster of Mbeki. Some have even accused the former president of paying less attention to domestic issues and more to African continental matters. Sadly, not even the candidacy of Mrs. Zuma is spared the Mbeki treatment. Just as the Jacob Zuma administration would not want to see former President Mbeki rise even higher at the continental level as Chairperson of the African Union Commission , whether or not it is to the long term benefit of South Africa, so is Mrs. Dlamini- Zuma being foisted on the continental platform in order to minimize her chances of challenging the current leadership of the ANC and standing as the party’s presidential candidate in the next elections. While nothing stops her from standing as a candidate in the South African presidential elections even if she is elected AU Chairperson, the belief in the Jacob Zuma camp is that her chances will be greatly limited once she is faced with the day- to- day running of the continental body, hence her candidacy is being promoted by Jacob Zuma’s administration for their own strategic, parochial political interest, and nothing else. If Mrs. Zuma had indicated her intentions to run for the position of AU Chairperson herself, and had set about outlining her agenda, vision and mission, it would be a different story all together. But with the South African government brazenly arm twisting smaller Member States and intimidating others with its financial and political might to endorse her, Mrs. Dlamini-Zuma’s candidacy may create even more division among Member States of the African Union while at the same time not serving her political interest at home. Is that what she will want for herself, her country or the continent she dearly loves? Surely Jacob Zuma alone has the answers to these questions, but not all. It is only logical to ask what is the stand of the other respectable members of SADC and even the other Big Four of the AU on the matter of the South African candidacy. Nigeria for one, was spiked by South Africa on two of the most significant challenges the African Union faced this year: Cote D’Ivoire and Libya. The Regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had reached a decision to recognize Alasane Ouatarra as the winner of the elections in Cote D’Ivoire, and to use force, if necessary to oust Laurent Gbagbo. The AU promptly acknowledged the ECOWAS decision and recognized Ouatarra. Then South Africa, on the orders of President Jacob Zuma decided to put its weight behind Gbagbo and to position a naval frigate on the West African coastline to protect Gbagbo, even if senior South African diplomats in Addis Ababa said that the frigate was on a routine stop in Cote D’Ivoire. The message was clear. If Nigeria and ECOWAS wanted to take out Gbagbo by force, they will have to face South Africa. President Jonathan totally ignored Zuma and he pulled his boat back. Many argue that this incident alone prolonged Gbagbo’s stay in power and increased the toll of avoidable deaths in the Ivorian crisis. On Libya, though having voted for resolution 1973 at the UN Security Council along with the other African members, Nigeria and Gabon, President Zuma decided on a solo agenda when it came to the African Union’s position on the issue. What ever was being decided by the Peace and Security Council of the AU, to which South Africa and fourteen other states are members, only became horses on which President Zuma rode to deliver his own message. There could not be a greater disregard for the functioning of the Peace and Security Council of the AU and the Ad Hoc Presidential Committee on Libya than President Zuma’s decision to host the Ad Hoc Committee in Pretoria instead of Nouakchott, to the chagrin of the Mauritanian President who chaired the Committee. President Zuma then proceeded to the UN General Assembly in New York and did what he did without the full knowledge of the AU Peace and Security Council or that of the Ad Hoc Committee. Following her antecedents, there is good reason to believe that Dr. Dlamini –Zuma can fix the broken image of Africa’s second youngest free country after South Sudan, and the richest and most developed among Member States of the African Union. The best way to do this will be to allow her to direct the affairs of our beloved South Africa from within as President of the Republic and not use her to sow discord in the Union. It will be most interesting to know what direction our dear sister herself will choose to go. Fred Eno is an Addis-based news correspondent, pan-Africanist and founder of Hand-in-Hand Afrika, the Pan-African civil society response to Humanitarian crises. He could be reached at: Tel: +251 910 132 869 email: fredeno@hotmail.com, mapendoafrica@hotmail.com.

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